Horrible boating accident today (9/05/09)

We had a fair day boating but it ended up horrible.
4 guys in a runabout hit the houseboat at my brothers docks. The houseboat was sitting still, no one on it. The runabout was going 60mph. We were around the bend and did not hear the crash. My brother got a call since it happened on his docks. They were giving CPR to one guy. Other had a horrible broken leg. They fear a major artery was severed. He was life flighted out, we heard he did not survive but that has not been officially reported as of yet. They fear the guy getting CPR did not make it either. Neither have been confirmed yet. Fuel spill from the houseboat so EPA was called in. We could not dock until 10:00. What a night.

Re: Horrible boating accident today

Yuck, Doc. I sorta know what you're dealing with. I spend a good deal of time in the summer at a friend's house on a lake and it seems every year, there's a death -- be it from drowning, or more frequently, a collision. And often alcohol is involved. There's something about being on the water that makes some folks feel more comfortable throwing caution to the wind. It would be nice if everyone driving a boat would take a water navigation course to learn the rules of the waves, as it were.

I feel for ya.

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Sober Skipper here, and always have been. Never have understood anyone who drinks and operates anything with a motor attached to it...car, bike, boat, whatever. Very sad that it happened, but maybe some will learn from it and choose to remain sober or docked. Appears the worst offenders are those in jet ski type craft. They seem to have more balls than brains. Years ago I was coming into a bay at sundown with running lights on and doing 25 knots with my 1,400# bass boat. Coming straight at me was a jet ski running wide open..no lights...and the operator driving it BACKWARDS! Yep, he was turned completely around looking backwards while running wide open. A long blast on my air horn startled him and he fell off the craft, and had the audacity to flip me off for saving his life. Morons....

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Yep, drinking was involved. One of the 4 guys who had a horribly broken shoulder was pacing while his buds were being tended to. He admitted they were shitfaced ...and they were heading to get more BEER and gas.
I agree boating classes are a good thing but some folks get drunk and simply loose all common sense. So many boats were out and about yesterday. Beautiful day for boating. Most were having fun. This boat went way past that point.
Our friends houseboat that was hit is a total loss. He had worked and worked on that boat and had it looking good, now the whole back end is knocked off of it. Non repairable from the looks of it. I seriously doubt insurance will even be able to replace the boat..
We saw the boat hooping and hollering earlier in the day. A girl and guy that were on the boat demanded to get off. Good for them. Probably saved their lives. The accident happened two hours later.

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See the same thing around here with ATV's. Most anytime we responded to a bad one alcohol was involved. Folks need to learn to sit still when they drink.

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Wow, that is horrible.
Video can be seen here. That houseboat is a mess.

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Good find Jerry.
Yep, and they could not show the worst part of the houseboat. The starboard side of the rear of the boat is just a big hole. The owner heard the crash and was able to use a rope to pull the houseboat up close to the bank so it didn't sink further out. No idea how they will get either of the wrecked boats out of there.
In the past two years he had gutted the inside and put all new stuff in the HB. Enough to make you sick.

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You been drinking? No rides in my boat. Sober, or no go. Oh, and Lifelines are on at all times, or you don't ride. Kinda sucks when the bikini girls get on and I make 'em wear Lifelines.
If we stop somehwere to eat or beach, no alcohol. Sorry, that's teh way it is.

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Update on the story..........

One man, 24 years old, did die as a result of the crash.

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God how awful

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When I had boats, there was one simple rule. No alchohol until the boat was in the slip and unloaded. If anyone couldn't obey that rule they could fish somewhere else. I fished in Alaska. If you fell overboard the only purpose the life jacket served was to insure the widow had a body to bury. Couple the water temp. with halibut and salmon sized hooks and a drunk became a hazard to all on board.
My riverboat had one additional rule. No one younger than eighteen on board. Trying to read and run a river while watching out for disobient children was dangerous for all involved and after a few nightmares and parents complaining I was too strict on their children, I just said no more kids. Worked well for me and if I lost a few fishing partners, so be it.

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Some pics from the accident.

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Some more pics.

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Here is a pic of how things looked before the accident.

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The first year we had our cabin some boaters from a neighboring state was having one heck of a party out in front of our place. One boat and two jet skies. By the end of the day they were pretty well looped and most of the area people new something was going to happen. The jet ski was running back and forth in front of the boat which all were drunk. The passenger fell off the jet ski and the boat ran over him. The stern went right up over the guy as he had cuts from his toes all the way up his chest. He didn't make it. I am sure about 6 guys are living with terrible accident even today after 15 years.

murph